Article Review #2

New guidance explains how to use thermal mass to avoid or minimise air conditioning

The Concrete Centre News Archive 2007
Release date: 23rd January 2007

Hotter summers due to climate change will result in greater use of air-conditioning which, in turn, will result in increased CO2 emissions and more impact on the climate. New technical guidance from The Concrete Centre explains how the thermal mass of buildings can be utilised to successfully address this Catch 22.

The Concrete Centre has identified the advantage of thermal mass in concrete as a means of passive cooling to battle hotter summers in the UK due to climate change. They noted the exposure of concrete provides passive cooling, with the soffit of the floor slabs absorbing daily heat and stabilising the internal temperature, with the cool air at night used as ventilation, creating a heating/cooling cycle through the thermal mass of the building. Furthermore, economical benifits include reduced costs to run air conditioning as well as reduced CO2 emissions.

We can surely relate to climate change in Australia and possibly consider concrete's thermal mass cooling quality as a solution.

source: http://www.concretecentre.com/main.asp?page=1542